CELEBRATED NOVELIST and playwright Thornton Wilder is credited with saying, “The highest tribute to the dead is not grief but gratitude.” Though historians can’t find these words in Wilder’s writings, the sentiment of the words is no less powerful. Respectfully honoring loved ones after they have passed reflects both love and long-lasting gratefulness.
Owned and operated by Higgins Funeral Home, Higgins Cedar Hills Memorial Gardens in Lincoln County is an 18-acre, family-owned cemetery with five separate gardens. Because the cemetery offers perpetual care, families can be assured it will remain meticulously maintained during both the active period, when plots are still being sold, and the dormancy period, when all burial sites have been filled.
According to Chris Ross, managing partner and co-owner of Higgins Funeral Home, the cemetery is especially devoted to serving veterans in Fayetteville and the surrounding areas. One of the five gardens, The Garden of Honor, was established to ease the burden on families who wanted to honor their veterans but would otherwise have to travel hours to visit the site. The nearest state and national veterans cemeteries are in Nashville and Chattanooga, each more than 100 miles away.
“The Garden of Honor was born out of a desire to give back,” Ross said. “Our veterans shouldn’t have to be buried hours away from their families to receive the honor they deserve.”
The addition of the garden, along with its upkeep, is a labor of love. The cemetery does not receive any state or federal funding.
According to Ross, the commitment to veterans is personal. He comes from a lineage defined by military sacrifice. His father was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran (Camp Lejeune) and a 32-year retiree of the Veterans Administration.
Ross said he also had relatives, grandparents, and great uncles who served in the Navy and the Army, including Staff Sgt. Leon Bliss, who gave his life in North Africa in WWII. Ross also had a great-grandfather who survived a German prisoner-of-war camp in WWI.
“I grew up understanding the quiet pride and sacrifice of those who wear the uniform,” Ross said. “That heritage of service is why we treat every inch of these 18 acres as sacred ground for every family we serve, veteran and civilian alike.”
Ross described the gardens as a vision of peace and progress with a layout designed for reflection. The United States flag, anchored at the heart of the Garden of Honor, greets visitors as they enter through a majestic stone entrance.
The Garden of Hope and Family Estates lie to the right. The Garden of Devotion, which lies to the left, is the cremation garden, offering individuals who wish to be cremated a permanent resting place where loved ones can visit. The Garden of Good Shepherd and the Garden of Everlasting Life also sit to the left and feature gravesites with flat markers.
“The team at Higgins is constantly working to improve this sanctuary,” Ross said. “Recent upgrades include the installation of specialized in-ground vases in the Garden of Honor, designed to hold floral arrangements securely and beautifully.”
Ross said the purpose of the Memorial Gardens is to ease the path of those who served by offering veterans one complimentary interment rite, valid for ground burial of casketed or cremated remains in any of the cemetery’s gardens.
In addition, the spouse of a veteran may be buried alongside the veteran, with an additional nominal fee for grave costs, perpetual care, and a matching upright marble headstone.
Veterans who wish to be buried in family plots within other gardens will also receive a complimentary interment spot, with families paying only a nominal fee for grave costs, perpetual care, and headstones.
There is also specialized pricing for veterans within the Garden of Hope Devotion cremation columbarium.
In addition to honoring the hero, the team at Higgins Cedar Hill Memorial Gardens is committed to supporting the hero’s family with heartfelt compassion and personalized care.
A place of succor and beauty, the cemetery offers scenic views throughout its grounds, as well as glimpses of wildlife, including deer and wild turkeys.
“During a recent flag rotation, staff members even spotted a bald eagle, perched high in the trees,” Ross said, “a fitting sentinel for a place dedicated to American heroes.”
Families can be assured their show of gratitude will be preserved for many years to come in the pristine sanctuary of peace at Higgins Cedar Hills Memorial Gardens. GN
Higgins Cedar Hills Memorial Gardens is at 23 Memory Lane in Fayetteville and is open from sunrise to sunset, seven days a week. The business office is at Higgins Funeral Home, 213 Market St. E., Fayetteville. More information is available at higginsfh.com. The telephone number is (931) 433-2544.
